Be bold, and mighty forces will come to your aid.” — Goethe

Centre Future is more than a space. It is a mindset. As eclectic as its Gen Z office is, the program encourages bold moves and understands what captures attention in today’s world.

Now celebrating its first anniversary, the space already carries a sense of longevity and life. It is where the future of El Paso’s core memories are being made. It feels like a Y2K dream, with moody lighting, shelves stacked with trinkets and supplies ranging from a 3D printer to a crochet kit, all ready for anyone willing to take a chance on centering their future.

As it grows into its own identity, Centre Future aims to reach as diverse an audience as possible. The team wants to see El Paso’s emerging leaders, decision-makers, artists and creatives succeed.

Centre Future values people over economics. Located at the Main Library at 501 N. Oregon, it offers connection and community. It is a third space for the Borderland, the kind of place that feeds the future. There is no bottom line and no pressure to spend. At Centre Future, a young adult can simply be.

Indy Gonzalez, a youth mentor at Centre Future, reflects on what the program’s first year has taught him.

“Life is limitless, and I’ve been able to discover that through all the different types of people I’ve met here. I always approach everything open-mindedly, and I’ve learned so much from people’s different skills, the unique backgrounds of their personalities and especially their stories,” Gonzalez said.

When asked how he will carry those experiences forward, he points back to the program’s impact on his own future.

“If there was something I’d tell my kids, I’d be like, ‘I was a part of a program, and I was able to learn how to become not only a better mentor, but also a better person,’” Gonzalez said.

For youth mentors at Centre Future, few things feel more healing than a dynamic built on reciprocal energy between community and information. The program has also built a loyal, curious audience.

Kalina “Kal” Gallardo, a youth mentor, credits the many participants who have supported Centre Future since day one.

“Something that has wowed me is our participants,” Gallardo said.

In the midst of the anniversary celebration, Gallardo describes the experience as an honor. She is passionate about watching participants grow into who they were always meant to be.

“For me, it’s really rewarding to have relationships at the center of my work, and it makes it really easy to come to work every day because I know that I’ll get to connect with people who have a lot to teach me.”

Gallardo’s openness to learning through experience shapes the way she centers her future.

“It’s really an honor to accompany people on their paths, and I think it’s important that we are creating the experience for ourselves. I get to create the mentorship role that I want to be in,” Gallardo said.

After all, people need people. Generations long for the resonance of one another’s realities and for the futures still taking shape. Centre Future has a message to the masses: Just be who you are. Fear stops experience, and without experience, there is no learning.

Gallardo, who came up with the name Centre Future, hopes more people will grow comfortable in the community space.

“In the next year, I hope that Centre Future continues to be participant-led, for them to realize their dreams and pursuits in this space, even if it’s still ambiguous or mysterious to them.”

For those who need it, she hopes they can check out of “survival mode” and into “a way of being that is really fulfilling to them.”

Centre Future’s goal is to prepare and encourage bold, creative adults who are unafraid of the challenges adulthood brings. As the program gains more exposure, more futures find their center.

Having just celebrated its first anniversary, Centre Future is just getting started. Whether that means expanding into more public library locations across El Paso or further into the mindset of local youth, it continues to take shape as a collective. Through workshops on professional development, Adulting 101 and hobby-based clubs like improv, the program offers young people a place of their own.

Centre Future’s message to the future of El Paso is simple: The next time self-doubt and fear of the unknown stop you from moving forward, remember that it is never about capability. It is about centering drive. Ask yourself: Why not? Challenge yourself, go for it and do it scared. That is exactly when you should do it.